Shostakovich's String Quartet Writing in Context

General/ Context

Between 1938 and 1974, Shost composed 15 string quartets which are often regarded as the finest in the repertoire after Beethoven's along with Bartok's, the greatest of the C20.

There is great variety of style/ influence within his quartets;

No.3 Accused of hiding coded subversive messages against Stalin.

No.4 Many folk like middle eastern aspects PC2

No.5 Grows from a 5 note motif containing DSCH

No.12 12 note tone row PC6

No.13 Unusual string techniques PC8

Shost waited until he was 31 to compose his first string quartet, to mature as a composer.

Chamber music would not have been intended for the masses and then would flourish in small circles. This means it would be below the radar of communist scrutiny, therefore allowing Shost more personal freedom and reflection.

1 of 11

Personal Thoughts (a), Autobiographical(b)

a)

Smetana's 2 quartets are very personal 'from my life'. explores romantic feelings, life in general, nationalistic elements and an emotional whining E within the finale which represents the inner ear difficulties during his approaching deafness. PC1

Janscek No.2 entitled 'intimate letters' explored intimate feelings.

b)

Shost's use of his own personalised motif DSCH has been influenced by Bach's use of BACH (B flat, A, C, B natural) in his 'Art of Fugue'.

Webern in his only quartet on a larger scale, base each of the 3 movements on a note rown on the BACH motif

2 of 11

Quotations (c), Stylistic Incorporations(d)

c)

Shost's use of musical quotations from other composers could have been influenced by composers such as Haydn who in his finale to Op. 20 No.5 adapts Handel's main theme from 'and with his stripes' from 'the messiah'. PC2

d)

many earlier composers have incorporated folk song and nationalistic elements. (shost mov.2 and mov.4)

Romantic period composers such as Smetana PC3 and Dvorak introduced nationalistic elements such as the Czech/Bohemian Polka and Dumka.

Borodin and Tchaikowsky also used Russian folk tunes

Charles Ives introduced hymn tunes in his Quartet No.1.

3 of 11

Number of Movements

The four movement pattern was establishedby composers such as Haydn.

The majority of Shost's quartet's were four movements but range from 1 movement (No.13) to 7 movements (No.11). No. 8 and No.9 are in 5 interconnected movements and a significant number of the others are interconnected movements. Inspiration could have been taken from Beethoven, Op. 132 (5 movs), Op. 130 (6 movs) and Op 131 (7 movs). Op. 131 played without a break.

Schoenberg experimented with one movement.

Bartok's 2nd quartet has a central scherzo mov and ends with a bleak slow movement (similar to the mov 3 and bleak finish to shost No.8).